Trader Joe's

A few weeks back we went to one of my favorite grocery stores – Trader Joe’s. The nearest one to Albany is in Hadley, MA (375 Russell St, Hadley, MA 01035). Whenever we’re in Hippy, wait, no, Happy Valley (I kept mishearing this from local residents and calling it Hippy Valley for years. Turns out it’s Happy Valley. But there are a lot of hippies, so it’s not that much of a stretch) we head over to Trader Joe’s.

One of my favorite foods is their Unburied Treasure, which you can just barely make out in the upper left corner. It’s the half eaten bag. It’s their knockoff brand of Pirate Booty, and so, so good. It’s also $1.84 for a gigantic bag.

I recently noticed they had some cool pasta shapes, so I picked up some orzo and another one (they look like little rings) for $0.89. Cheap! The last orzo I bought was half of that size for twice the price. I overheard someone on the phone saying “Dude, yea, so I… oh, wait, man. What? Dude, no, the prices for pasta have gone up. A lot.” Maybe it’s different markets, but $0.89 per pound of pasta is good to me! We got a lot more pasta than here. He he he.

I also wavered around the nuts section. I’m sure that’s somehow inappropriate. It was worth it, though – I got a pound of macadamia nuts for $6.29! They’re pretty good, especially when they’re closer to $13 a pound in the supermarkets in Albany, NY. Oh, Trader Joe’s it has been ages since I’ve snacked on macadamia nuts.

In the bottom right corner you’ll see a sauce jar with korma sauce in it. Yes, korma! I really like Trader Joe’s bottled Indian sauces. They taste very fresh, better than some of the box mixes. They’re also great for a simple meal – Albany John recently pureed some cooked spinach in korma sauce (I’m sure he doctored it up in other ways too) and we had a great puree to munch on.

Mozzarella balls! These were $5.60 (or close enough to it) for a big container of mozzarella balls in Italian seasoned olive oil. They taste so buttery and fresh. No rubbery bite to any of these. Sometimes we add the extra olive oil to our pasta. Or drink it. It’s also good for dipping bread.

Dolmas! $2.49 for a glass jar of dolmas! They have a nice lemon-tinged olive oil, plus a decorative lemon slice on the bottom. A little goes a long way. They’re heavy, to be sure, but incredibly addictive.

Vegetarian (and possibly vegan) riblets! Ahhh! They are so good. I love these riblets. Nice bbq flavor, a texture I love more than might be healthy. Oh, I love these suckers. The downside is that they’re quite expensive, even for Trader Joe’s. It’s $2.99 for 2 riblets. Break these out for company. Or don’t.

Frozen chicken boobs! These were $5.99 (I think) for 2.5 pounds of boneless, skinless, frozen chicken breasts with rib meat attached. I thought it was worthwhile. We’ve gotten them before, and they’re good in a pinch to thaw and have a quick dinner.

I completely forgot to picture my beloved brie, which I think was one of the big winners in the Trader Joe’s awesome prices war. They were selling Belletoile brie for $6.99 per pound. Everybody drool. Yes, per pound! It’s $12 per pound here, even at the Co-Op. It took me so much willpower not to buy a pound of it. And even more willpower not to eat the entire wedge in one sitting. I’m not sure if their Belletoile is fresher than any other place, as I really liked the rind on it. Normally I hate the rind, it’s too tangy and pungent. This had a bit of a kick and tang to it, but it went well with the cheese and bread and other pairings.

So that wraps up Trader Joe’s. I like to stock up on non-perishable items like pasta, or their canned/jarred goods when I’m in the area. The prices and quality are great! Also note, this one does not sell alcohol, so no two buck chuck.

They've also got a ton more stuff. You probably shouldn't haul out there just for a visit to Trader Joe's, but if you're visiting some of the local colleges or something - don't miss it. You'll at least get some great snacks for the ride home. Yum.